


Learning

by silsecri



Category: Dark Angel
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-14
Updated: 2014-11-14
Packaged: 2018-02-24 17:43:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2590523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silsecri/pseuds/silsecri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by Jonty's 'Manticore'. Max acts on Biggs's advice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Learning

**Author's Note:**

> Re-post of an old story for the sake of archiving all my fic in one place. 
> 
> I don't know if Jonty ever made the move to AO3 but if she didn't you could find her stories in NunsWithPens in hyperboards, and ff.net, I think. And you totally should find them, her stories are some of the best in this fandom.

**Learning**  
by Lyra  


Alec entered Crash and went directly to the back room where Biggs and CeCe were playing pool with Sketchy watching their every move. No doubt he was trying to learn some tricks to beat Alec. Fat chance of that, Alec thought smiling.

Alec looked around and noticed Max and OC weren’t there. Instead, two beautiful women, who were also watching the game, sat at Max and OC’s usual table. Judging by the looks they were giving Biggs and CeCe they were trying to figure out if they were an item or if maybe one of them had a chance with Biggs. Probably both of them crossed Alec’s mind and his smile turned into that sexy smirk of his.

Alec headed over the pool table and both transgenics returned his smirk. Obviously the women at the table hadn’t been too discreet and both Biggs and CeCe had noticed. CeCe’s smirk then turned into a full blown smile towards Alec.

Max and OC got there shortly after Alec, but went to the bar first to get drinks. It was Max's turn to buy and OC made a beeline for the lady’s room. Max watched Alec’s interaction with the gang and her heart constricted a little at the sight of CeCe’s sincere smile.

This last week she had been watching Alec. Really watching him, instead of looking in his general direction and seeing the image she made up in her mind.

She noticed how CeCe always had a smile for him and how she ‘talked’ with him. At first Max thought it was probably because Alec wasn’t a pain in ‘her’ ass. Then she realized that CeCe didn’t treat him like one either and Alec had the chance to just ‘be’ Alec. It was as if he realized Max labelled him ‘smart ass-jerk-pain in the ass’ from the start and he didn’t even try to change her mind. He just playacted what she expected from him and then moved on.

All those annoying comments that bothered her to no end turned into witty, funny remarks when he was talking to anybody else. People laughed and joked with him, whereas she hit and yelled at him.

After Biggs had told her about Manticore and Alec, Max had been ‘casually’ asking around. She started with Joshua and then went to TC. Whenever she asked someone if they knew Alec at Manticore and it didn’t matter who, transhuman, X5, X6, even some of the X7s, the answer was always the same: ‘of course’. It was as if Alec was a legend or something.

Everyone had a story about him, and with every story the blindfold she had willingly and knowingly put over her eyes became a little bit looser. Maybe I was wrong. Max reflected. Maybe it’s time I also talk to him.

Max made her way towards the back room. The women who had been at their table left when the game finished and Biggs, with his arm wrapped tightly around CeCe’s waist and murmuring something in her ear, paid no attention to them.

Max watched as OC came from the bathroom and headed for the table. Max followed and made her way across the room. Alec, seeing OC was there, knew Max couldn’t be far behind and looked around the room for her. He spotted her walking over from the bar with a pitcher and some glasses in her hands and their eyes met across the room.

Max reached the table and put the pitcher and the glasses down and then turned to Alec. “You ok with that or do you want something stronger?” At Alec’s raised eyebrow she said shrugging “My turn, remember?”

Alec found this a little strange. It was her turn to buy the drinks but she’d never brought anything different for anyone. Usually no one did, they all bought beer and if anyone wanted anything else they got it themselves. “I’m good,” he said finally.

It was very subtle, but lately Alec had noticed little changes in the way Max acted around him. Not right out civil, but not her usual insane and irrational behaviour either.

“So, how was the game? Who won?” asked OC.

“Well, I won, of course,” CeCe said smirking while Biggs rolled his eyes. “And as for how it was... rather public. Someone thought he’d show off a little for the audience. Another look in their direction,” CeCe glared at Biggs “and you would’ve found a cue stick filling some body hole.”

“Come on, CeCe,” Biggs said, laughing. “I was just showing them what they couldn’t have. I’m taken.” He leered at her.

Alec shook his head laughing, “Children, children, leave the foreplay for when you’re alone,” he said while giving a brief look at Sketchy.

Sketchy, who had been ogling CeCe every chance he had ever since she joined the Jam Pony crew, choked on his beer and threw an anxious look at Biggs. Biggs seemed too preoccupied with his girlfriend to notice, but he did.

He also saw Sketchy’s ogling, but Sketchy didn’t rank too high in the threat-o-meter. Actually, he didn’t even register.

“Well guys, it’s been fun, as always, but I think I’m gonna call it a night,” Sketchy said rising from his seat.

“But we haven’t played yet.” Alec interrupted his movement. “Don’t you want a chance to beat me?”

Sketchy snorted, “Like that would happen... Maybe tomorrow man.”

They laughed as Sketchy left the bar.

“Will you stop by TC tomorrow, Alec?” CeCe asked him.

“Sure, I have some free time in the morning.”

“Yeah, well, we’ll be working then so why don’t you keep us company and, I don’t know, work for a change and then you can come with us. Yesterday some people arrived and they’re dying to see you,” Biggs told Alec smiling.

“Ok, I’ll try that tomorrow,” Alec sighed dramatically, “but if I don’t like it I’ll just wait for you there.”

“Who are these people dying to see you, boo?”

“Who knows, probably some X5 chicks that missed me terribly...”

OC snorted at that and looked at Max expecting to find a similarly irritated face on her.

Max, who had been watching the look that Alec exchanged with Biggs and a excited and smiling CeCe, noticed OC looking at her and readily rolled her eyes.

“There are transgenics arriving every day, how are you managing?” Max asked Biggs.

“There’s enough room for everyone, for now. We’ve been establishing around Oak Street, and the transhumans are mainly in a big area of warehouses and parking across TC. We decided to stay apart for now, it’s easier to stick to what we know. They were there first, most of us X series went to ground and we’re only coming out now, but they came almost directly here. It’s like they knew where to go,” Biggs said looking at Alec briefly and then shrugging to Max.

Alec remembered his ‘walks’ around the forests outside Seattle during the few weeks he was gone after the whole White fiasco with the bomb in his head. He’d found quite a few transhumans there and told them about TC. He’d walked around the worst areas of the city too, but the ones there had heard about TC and gone there on their own.

“Oh my! Look at that honey. That one has OC’s name in her bed tonight. If you’ll excuse me.” OC’s words brought Alec back to reality.

“Speaking of beds...” CeCe leaned over Biggs and murmured in his ear. Biggs was on his feet in an instant.

“That’s what I love about CeCe,” Biggs said to Alec laughing and then turned to Max. “She knows what she wants and she goes for it.” Biggs kept his eyes on Max, looking for some sort of sign. Max’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly but Biggs noticed. He smiled at her. CeCe was saying goodbye to Alec and pulling Biggs to the exit.

Alec and Max were now the only ones left and they were both immersed in their own thoughts. Alec was still smiling after his two friends. Max was thinking about her earlier decision of talking to Alec. She turned to him and after watching him for a while she spoke.

“Why do you always put up with everything I throw at you?”

Alec turned in his seat and looked at her for a long while. “Who’s been telling tales?” he asked giving her a knowing smile.

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, Max, you’ve been acting strange for a while now. There has to be something that has made you change. Something or someone must have caused this new light you seem to see me under.”

“Alec, no, I just-”

“Max, don’t, ok? What, now that we’re surrounded by Xs you’ve been hearing stories about me, about things I did when I was there? Well, that was then and this is now. So what if I knew what I was doing then? What if I knew what was expected from me and did it?”

“You did more than that-” she tried to interrupt him but he didn’t let her talk.

“It doesn't matter. Yeah, I did more than what I had to. I hated them, Max. Them and their rules and punishments. I wouldn’t abandon my unit if I could help it and I made it so I could usually help it. But the point is that that doesn’t change anything that happened out here.” Alec paused, maybe waiting for Max to say something, but now she was looking at him silently.

“I had no idea what to do or how to behave out here. It was different than the missions. Then I had parameters and orders, now I don’t. I always knew who to be in Manticore. 494 whenever it was necessary and ‘Alec’ whenever I could get away with it.” He smirked, but it lacked its usual spark. “But when you let us out, I was lost and I screwed up... a lot. And you got to see it every time because you were the only person I knew who had a life out here and could show me how to get one for myself. So I stuck by you. But it took me some time to learn, and since we didn’t have a good start you were never very keen on helping me.”

Max lowered her head, feeling guilty and ashamed of her behaviour, which she had to agree, had been horrible.

“I don’t blame you, Max. You had reasons to be like that... well, maybe you didn’t have to be that big of a bitch, but you know...” This time his smile was more sincere. “But what I meant is that I’m still that guy who screwed up a little too often for both our tastes in the beginning. And whatever you heard about me doesn’t erase that.” Max was staring at her glass, thinking about his words.

“Maybe we weren’t ready then,” she said after a while.

“Ready?” Alec asked, a little lost.

“To be friends,” she answered looking at him with a smile. “You had to find your place in the real world and I had to change my screwed views about you... and a few other things.”

“So you think you’re ready now?”

“I am,” she said firmly. “What about you?”

“Ma-ax, I might have been a screw up for a while but it didn’t take me this long to adapt. I’ve been ready for quite a while,” he said laughing.

“Well, friends, then,” she said offering him her hand to shake. “I’m Max,” she told him when he took it.

“Alec. Nice to meet you, Max.” They smiled at each other and then Alec said, “It was Biggs, wasn’t it?”


End file.
